1. Field of Invention
The present invention relates to a projector including a light source, light modulating devices that modulate, in accordance with image information, beams emitted from the light source to form an optical image, and a case that accommodates the light source and the light modulating devices, and the projector enlarges and projects the optical image formed by the light modulating devices.
2. Description of Related Art
Conventionally, projectors that modulate, in accordance with image information, beams emitted from a light source and enlarge and project the beam have been used. In recent years, such projectors are being used for various purposes, such as business presentations with personal computers and watching movies at home.
Such projectors are disposed with an optical device for forming an optical image, a light source, and a power supply circuit and a lamp drive circuit for supplying power to optical device and the light source, and these are accommodated inside a case.
Here, the light source, the power supply circuit and the lamp drive circuit are heat-generating sources that generate heat inside the case during operation, and there are parts among the light modulating devices and optical parts configuring the optical device that are sensitive to heat. Thus, a cooling system that introduces cooling air from outside of the case to cool respective parts within the case is disposed in the projector.
As described in JP-A-2000-330202 (FIGS. 5 and 8) and JP-A-2000-10191 (FIG. 1), cooling systems are classified into cooling systems of optical systems including an optical device, light source cooling systems, and power supply and light source drive circuit cooling systems. Conventionally, a configuration has been used where, for example, air passing through the cooling system of the optical system is supplied to the power supply and light source drive circuit cooling system to cool these circuits, and finally the air is discharged to the outside of the case from a discharge fan disposed near the light source (e.g., see Patent Document 1 and Patent Document 2).